She's Gone
by Jessie611
Summary: Jack loses the most important person in his life and Chloe tries to help him.
1. Chapter 1

Chloe groaned and reached for the phone, glancing at the clock at her bedside. It was three a.m.

"What?" she barked into the phone in her usual manner.

"Chloe? It's Curtis."

She groaned again. "What is it this time? Nuclear threat? Nerve gas? Assassination attempt?"

"Kim Bauer is dead."

Chloe sat bolt upright in bed, a sense of dread washing over her. "Oh my god" she whispered into the phone. She felt tears sting the backs of her eyes, her tears weren't particularly for Kim; they were more for her father.

"What happened?"

"Car accident" Curtis said simply.

"Jack?"

There was a brief pause before Curtis responded. "That's why I'm phoning Chloe. He knows she's dead but I can't get hold of him. I thought you would want to know, that maybe you might know how to get hold of him."

Chloe shifted to the side of her bed, not knowing what to do for a moment.

"Chloe?" Curtis' voice interrupted her thoughts.

"It's okay Curtis, I'll figure something out."

She hung up the phone and moved quickly to get dressed. Within minutes she was in her car and driving to his apartment.

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Jack hadn't been at his apartment, not that she really expected him to be. She had driven around for the past thirty minutes, not really sure where she was going. All of a sudden she'd remembered him telling her where his wife was buried.

She pulled up outside the cemetery and was relieved to see that it was relatively well lit. There was a long path with gravestones either side, the path was wide enough for her car but she decided to get out and walk, not wanting to intrude on him but just wanting to know that he was okay.

She pulled her jacket around her, the cool night air biting through to her skin. She walked for about ten minutes, scanning the headstones as she went, looking for approximate dates, knowing that the plots were generally lumped together by date.

She saw the figure hunched over a headstone in the far corner of the cemetery. She knew it was him and decided to hold back a little and give him some time. She moved to a bench behind him where she could see him but not hear him. She could tell that he was crying and he was talking to his wife, the low hum of his voice reaching her ears even though she couldn't make out what he was saying.

After another fifteen minutes she decided to move closer to him and it was then that she saw the glint of the 9mm at his side. She felt the cold fear grip her and stood, rooted to the spot for a few moments. Eventually she carried on forward.

"Jack?" she called softly, seeing his shoulders tense as he heard her. She saw his gaze move quickly to the gun at his side and she knew that he knew she'd already seen it. He turned slowly and Chloe felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight of him. She had never seen him looking so devastated and Chloe had seen him lose so much in his life.

When she reached him she placed her hand gently on his shoulder, squatting down next to him. She touched his face with her fingers, urging him to look at her. When he did, she saw the raw pain in his eyes. She didn't say anything, she just sat with him, occasionally touching him but mostly just letting him be.

Eventually he spoke, his voice gruff and full of emotion. "I can't believe she's gone" he said, closing his eyes against the truth of his words.

"I know" she said simply.

He started crying then, his breath coming in short bursts through the racking sobs that were torturing his body. She held him as he cried, gently rocking him and muttering soothing sounds, knowing that no words were enough at this moment.

Eventually he stopped crying and wiped the tears from his face. "Chloe" he said softly, reaching to touch her face lightly. He closed his eyes briefly then looked at the ground "you have to go" he whispered.

Chloe sat rigid "I can't" she said, tears now falling from her own eyes.

"You have to" he said, still refusing to look at her.

"I don't want you to go" she said, her words now coming through her own sobs.

"There's nothing left" he said simply.

Chloe wanted to shout and scream. What about me? What about me? But she didn't, she just sat there crying, unable to give him what he wanted.

Before she knew what was happening he was dragging her up by her arms. "Chloe, please" he begged, shaking her almost violently.

"No!" she said, the one word so full of angst and pain that he pushed her away from him. Chloe stumbled and fell to the ground but Jack didn't even notice. Instead he crouched down and reached for his gun, taking the safety off.

"Chloe just go" he said, the gun in his hand waiting to be fired, "you're not going to stop me from doing this".

Chloe scrambled quickly to her feet, moving towards him, knowing that words would not get through to him. She knew that during times of emotional stress people could find physical strength they didn't know they possessed. And that was exactly what Chloe did. Within a split second she had knocked the gun from his hand and Jack Bauer from his feet. He lay sprawled on the ground, winded and obviously shocked.

Chloe was breathing hard but she managed to move quickly and reach for the gun before he had a chance to. She placed the safety back on and put the gun in the waistband of her jeans.

Jack recovered from his shock quickly and Chloe was alerted to his anger by the soft growl that came from his lips, reminding her of the many occasions when his anger had got the better of him when interrogating a suspect. Before she knew it he was lunging for her, pulling her off her feet in one swift move. She struggled against him but was determined to put up a fight, no matter how strong and skilled he was in comparison.

He was on top of her and she attempted to knee him in the groin but he managed to deflect her move with ease. She could feel his hand reaching behind her so she used his own body weight against him to propel herself forward, hoping to wind him again. But that wasn't exactly how it worked, she ended up being forced back by his weight on top of her and as her head bounced on the hard concrete beneath them she had a moment to realise she now had no chance of stopping him as the world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe groaned at the pain in her head, her next thought was that when she opened her eyes she could very well find Jack Bauer dead beside her. As she shifted she realised that she wasn't on the cold hard ground of the cemetery, instead she was laying on the warm, soft surface of a bed. She lifted her head but felt a wave of nausea hit her so she lay still for a moment longer. Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she felt the warm hands reaching around the back of her head.

"Lay still" came the rough demand. She sighed with relief as she realised he wasn't dead, unless they both were of course. Her eyes sought him in the semi darkness. When she focused she realised she was in a bedroom somewhere, probably his bedroom she thought as she saw the masculine touches around her.

"I'm sorry" she whispered softly.

She heard him sigh. "Why do you have to be so pig headed Chloe?"

"If it had been me, would you have just walked away?" she asked.

He ignored the question but continued to clean the wound at the back of her head. When he'd finished, he left her for a moment and Chloe managed to shift herself to sit on the edge of the bed.

When he came back in he hesitated in the doorway. Chloe looked at him. "Please Jack, I don't know what to do" she said, tears again falling from her eyes. She knew that he had just brought her back here to make sure she was okay and that if he was determined to take his own life then he would.

She saw tears reach his own eyes as he moved into the room. He sat beside her on the bed and took hold of her hand gently.

"Chloe, I have nothing. I know I hadn't seen Kim for a couple of years but the fact that she was out there was enough for me. Now that she's de . . ." he couldn't say the word out loud "now that she's gone, I just . . . I just don't want to be here anymore."

"I know what that's like" she said simply, looking at him intently, "my daughter died too".

The shock in his expression was obvious. "Your daughter? But . . but Chloe, I didn't know. I'm sorry" he said, fresh pain flitting over his expression.

"It was a long time ago, she would have been sixteen now. I was in college when I found out I was pregnant, the father didn't want to know so I decided to raise her by myself. I'd never had a family of my own and after I'd got over the shock I was just so happy. I finished my degree and did some freelance work to get the money I needed to set up home. Everything was perfect in my world." She hesitated as fresh tears fell from her eyes and she felt Jack grip her hand tighter.

"The day I brought her home from the hospital was the happiest of my life and the months that followed were difficult but I just loved her so much, I hadn't known it was possible to love someone so much" she stopped as she saw the tears coursing down his face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't . . . . ."

"Go on" he urged, squeezing her hand tighter.

"She was three months old when she died. She was in a crib by my bed and I woke up in the night just knowing that something was wrong. She'd stopped breathing and I couldn't do anything. They tried to save her but it was no good, she was gone."

Jack pulled her towards him and held her. They held each other. Both of them were crying softly.

Eventually he spoke. "How did you cope?"

"I don't think I did really. For the first year I just shut out the pain, pretended I'd never even had her. It was the only way I could deal with it."

"I can't just pretend I never had Kim" he said, his breath catching again.

"I know" she said "it was somehow easier with Lucy; I'd only had her for a short time."

Jack nodded and, closing his eyes against the stark reality of his loss he drew a shaky breath. Chloe wished she could help him but she really didn't know where to start, she knew words would not help but she knew she couldn't leave him to just take his own life in the midst of his grief.

"Jack . . . ." she said hesitantly, unsure what the next words out of her mouth would be but knowing she couldn't just leave things like this.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, blinking to clear the fog that clouded his vision. "Chloe, I can't do this" he said, "I have never felt pain like this . . I just can't go on."

Chloe nodded, understanding him. She sighed deeply, looking away for a moment. When she turned back to him she saw he was still looking at her.

"Okay" she said simply, frowning intently at him.

"Okay?" he said, looking at her suspiciously.

She nodded then delivered her ultimatum as only Chloe could, bluntly. "Yes, if you really don't want to live then I won't stop you. But first you have to bury your daughter."

She saw the range of emotions crossing his face; he was silent for a moment before he finally spoke "I can't".

"You have to Jack" she said, frowning, "This is the last thing you can do for her. God knows no father should ever have to bury his child but . . . . you can't let her be buried by strangers Jack, by people who didn't love her, who didn't even really know her. You have to do this, for Kim." When she'd finished talking she realised that she was crying again.

Jack's gaze was off in the distance, he seemed lost in his own thoughts for a moment before turning back to look at her.

"Okay" he said, "but, you have to promise not to try and stop me when this is over."

Chloe swallowed against the lump that had formed in her throat, panic gripping her for a moment at the thought that he still might do this. But she nodded in response and, seeing the steely determination in his expression she realised that during the next week or so she was going to be facing the biggest battle of her life.

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Chloe had stayed with Jack for the week since Kim's death. She'd had very little sleep but she'd had more than him. He'd been distant, at times seeming not to even notice that she was there. But Chloe just tried to be there for him, prompting him to make the necessary arrangements, sometimes doing things for him but at other times encouraging him to do the more personal aspects himself. The whole time she was with him she was trying to look for ways to give him something to live for but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

At night she heard him pacing but she left him alone, she didn't want to crowd him, didn't want him to feel pressured into being anything other than what he could be. During the day it was bad enough that she had to force him into action, not that he complained; he didn't have the strength or the will to fight her. She was not used to the passive side of him that had come to the fore. She had to tell him to do everything; when to eat, when to sleep, when to dress . . . . .

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Chloe sighed as she heard him pacing again; she felt tears sting the backs of her eyes for the hundredth time that week. She felt inadequate in the face of his grief, unable to reach him. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, reaching for the clock on the bedside table. 5 A.M.

She stood and pulled the robe around her body. She wanted today to be over, but then again she didn't. Today was Kim Bauer's funeral and at the back of her mind was the memory of the promise she'd made to him a week ago. Chloe frowned in concentration, trying to decide how to approach the day, what to do for him to make things easier. She glared at the door, knowing she had to walk through it and face him but also knowing that nothing she could do would make things any easier for him today.

She found him in the kitchen, already dressed in black trousers and a white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. She looked sadly at his profile; she'd laid the suit out for him the night before, intending that he put it on just before the funeral. The fact that he was already wearing it four hours before they needed to leave was testament to the fact that he was operating automatically.

He turned as she walked in. "Coffee?" he asked in a flat tone.

"Please" she said with a frown.

He poured her the coffee and handed it to her. Chloe sat at the kitchen table, slowly sipping the hot liquid as he busied himself in the kitchen, hardly appearing to notice her continued presence.

Eventually Chloe spoke. "You know the car's not picking us up until nine right?" she asked softly.

He turned towards her, dropping the cloth he'd been using to wipe the already clean surfaces. "I know Chloe" he said, his face expressionless and his eyes almost vacant.

He continued to stare at her and she shifted uncomfortably, not that she thought he even saw her. He sighed. "I'm going to take a walk" he said then, moving to retrieve his shoes from just inside the door.

Chloe felt panic rising in her chest. "Jack . . . ."

He cut off her next words "It's okay Chloe, I'm coming back".

Chloe nodded and waited until he walked out of the house before she let go of the emotions she'd been so desperately trying to hold onto. She sat with her face in her hands and sobbed silently.

She allowed herself ten minutes of self pity before she pulled herself together and walked into the bathroom, stripping off her robe and stepping into the warm spray from the shower. The flow of water helped to ease the tension she felt, albeit temporarily.

An hour later Chloe was again sitting at the kitchen table drinking her second cup of coffee and wondering where Jack was. She felt the anxiety well in her chest yet talked herself down from the rising panic. Jack had made her a promise and she knew he would honour it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing telephone.

"Hello" she said tentatively.

"Chloe, its Bill"

She sighed into the phone.

"How are things?" he asked kindly.

"Oh, you know, its not easy burying your daughter" Chloe answered sharply.

"I know Chloe" Bill said softly, "how are you?"

Chloe rolled her eyes; she didn't want to answer the question so she just asked Bill what it was he wanted.

"I just wanted to let you know that things are pretty quiet here so some of us will be coming to the funeral, just to give Jack some support."

"I don't think he'll even notice" Chloe said with a sigh.

"I know Chloe, but when all this is over he'll remember he wasn't alone" Bill said softly.

"When this is over he won't even . . . . ." she stopped herself from voicing her greatest fear. ". . . sorry, that's a nice thought Bill".

They ended the conversation and Chloe busied herself tidying the already tidy apartment. When she was done she glanced at the clock and saw that it was already gone eight. She moved to the bedroom to finish getting ready, wanting to keep busy until Jack arrived home. She was wearing a simple black skirt that fell just below her knees and a black blouse that had the overall effect of making her look a little harsh. Deciding to wear her hair down to soften the look she brushed it through and added a simple silver pendant necklace to her outfit. Realising that the finishing touches to her preparations had only taken a few minutes she sighed in frustration wondering where Jack was.

She paced the living room for a few minutes when she heard the key in the lock, relief washed over her and she busied herself moving things around in an attempt at not letting him see she'd been worried.

"I made you a promise Chloe" his voice said behind her, "you know I wouldn't go against that."

She turned slowly and looked at him clearly, knowing that she'd never been able to fool him, he could read her better than anyone. "I know I'm sorry" she said with an apologetic smile.

He looked a little more rested than he had earlier and, as he moved closer towards her Chloe saw the fleeting curve of his lips in a wistful smile before he gathered her towards him. He held her tightly, his breath ruffling her hair.

Chloe was surprised at first then, relieved that he was showing some sort of emotion she relaxed into him for a moment. Eventually they pulled apart and Jack glanced at the clock, sighing deeply.

"I need to get ready" he said, turning away from her a little. He turned back quickly though and leaned in to kiss her fleetingly on the cheek. "Thank you Chloe."

"You're welcome" she said with a small smile, a glimmer of hope lighting what was going to be a difficult day. She held her breath as he left the room then allowed herself a moment to believe that he wouldn't follow through with his plan after the funeral.

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Chloe had been right, Jack had hardly noticed the other mourners at the funeral. He was locked into his own grief, staring blankly to the front of the church for the whole service. Chloe stood next to him, glancing quickly at him from time to time but his expression was blank, he shed no tears and he made no comment. Friends and colleagues alike went up to him to offer their condolences at the end of the service but it was as if he didn't even recognise them.

Chloe went home with him at the end of the day, her heart heavy and her nerves on edge. She had run out of all hope that she could save him, short of a miracle that she was unaware of.

They walked into his house and Jack stood rooted to the spot just inside the doorway, his shoulders sagging and his head bowed a little in defeat. Chloe's heart broke then, she had no answers and no words that could comfort him. She sat on the couch and for the first time since the night Kim died she allowed him to see her pain.

Jack had been oblivious to anything but his need to shut out his own pain, the enormity of that task making it necessary to shut out everything. But, the quiet sobs coming from the woman on the couch eventually penetrated his consciousness. He glanced up and his breath hitched in his throat as he saw the effect that the pressure of looking after him had had on Chloe. He sighed heavily as he walked towards her. He stood silently looking down on her for a moment before he sat and pulled her towards him.

Chloe was caught up in the pain of losing him. God knew she had tried but the sight of him standing in the doorway looking so defeated made her realise that she just wasn't the right person to do it and that hurt more than anything because she so wanted to be that person. And now here he was trying to give her comfort.

"I'm sorry Jack, I'm so sorry" she said in between sobs that almost took her breath away.

"Shhh" he said simply, holding her towards him and gently rocking her, his hand drawing comforting circles across her back. Chloe continued to cry and Jack continued to soothe her, whispering words that were unintelligible but were soothing all the same.

Eventually Chloe's tears subsided but her need for him did not. By now he had leaned back into the couch with Chloe drawn into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. When she spoke, her words were soft and quiet.

"I just wanted to help you, to help you find something to live for but I know I'm not the right person."

She felt his chest rise as he took a deep breath. "Chloe, there is no right person. It's just time, I have never been so clear about anything as I am this. Nothing and no-one could change that now."

"I know" she said, and she did know it. She knew that even if she found some way to force his hand, his life would be no life. He would walk through it always waiting, always hoping for it to be over. And she didn't want that for him, she didn't want the strong, passionate man that she had come to love over the years to live an empty shell of an existence.

She felt him move against her and she sat up slightly. He shifted so he was looking at her, taking in her pale, drawn features, the dark circles under her red rimmed eyes and for a moment he felt love for this woman who had tried so hard for him. She had always tried hard for him, never refusing or denying, always trusting and always putting him before her own feelings. And here she was doing it again, he knew that to let him walk away would break her heart, but she would do it – for him.

"I'm sorry for hurting you Chloe" he said simply, his fingers reaching to gently stroke the soft skin of her cheek.

Chloe nodded, accepting his apology even though she hadn't expected or wanted it. She attempted to respond to the fleeting but genuine smile that ran across his face, his eyes lighting in a way reminiscent of the Jack Bauer of old, the one who had come to mean so much to her. She again felt tears sting the back of her eyes although she bravely tried to blink them away.

"Hey" Jack said softly, leaning his head against hers, his hand moving to lodge in her hair, holding her to him for a moment. As he moved back he dropped a soft kiss on her mouth.

Chloe felt a jolt as his lips touched hers fleetingly and, when Jack would have pulled away she found herself responding to his touch by pushing against him, wanting more. Jack was still for a moment but the pressure of her lips moulding to his stirred something within him.

Jack took hold of her face and deepened the kiss with a tilt of his head. His tongue snaked out to toy with hers and Chloe heard his groaned response when she pushed herself closer against him.

After a few minutes Chloe pulled back sharply, they were both breathing hard. "Oh god, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that" she said, genuine angst written across her features.

Jack stared at her, his vision clouded for a moment but then he was dragging her back towards him and kissing her like he never wanted to stop. Chloe was with him every step of the way. Then Jack was pulling her to her feet, still kissing her and he walked her backwards into his bedroom.

Their lovemaking was fast and furious, as though neither of them wanted to let go of the other, even though they both knew they would eventually. Chloe was under no illusion that she had the power to make him stay; she knew he would be gone by morning. This was goodbye and it was painful, charged and moving all at the same time. But it was also necessary, for both of them.

Within the fast pace they were both setting there were also tender moments, like when Jack saw her naked for the first time and told her she was beautiful. The truth in his expression was almost her undoing but she covered it up by kissing him with a passion she had never before felt. She didn't want to spoil this moment by breaking down again, she wanted to be caught up in him, to pretend for a moment that he wasn't leaving her.

They came together, neither turning away, their eyes locked and their focus solely on each other. Jack collapsed next to her on the bed, holding her to him and gently caressing her hair.

"Sleep" he said simply.

Chloe nodded, trusting that he would stay with her for a while at least. She relaxed against him and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep within minutes.

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It was several hours later when Chloe felt warm lips fluttering across her brow. Her eyes snapped open and she blinked away the sleep to focus on him. He was leaning over her fully dressed and she knew it was time. She sat up as he perched on the edge of the bed.

"I have something for you" he said, placing something in her hands. She kept her eyes on him for a moment before looking at the silver necklace he placed in her hands. It was a simple design, yet beautiful, with a pear drop pendant that would hang low from her neck.

"It's beautiful" she said.

"It was my mother's. I found it a couple of weeks ago when I was clearing the attic. I was going to give it to Kim, but . . . . . I want you to have it Chloe".

She smiled softly at him and reached to put the chain around her neck.

"Let me" he said, reaching around her to secure it. He dropped a kiss to the back of her neck before pulling away slightly. He held her face in his hands, his thumbs stroking her cheeks in small, slow circles.

He dropped his head to hers. "I have to go."

Chloe nodded, still smiling gently. She was determined not to give in to the despair that was clawing in the pit of her stomach. "I know",

He leaned down and captured her lips with his own, kissing her softly yet decisively. Chloe held him to her for a moment longer, then finally drew back, looking into his eyes and letting her fingers trace the contours of his face. Eventually she held his face in her hands before she smiled fleetingly and dropped a lingering kiss to his brow, pulling him towards her for a final time.

Then, with a final smile and a brief nod of his head he was gone.

It was only then that Chloe allowed herself to cry for him. She drew her knees up to her chest in a comforting gesture and she cried as though she might never stop.

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By mid morning she was leaving his house, her bags packed. She left his key under a stone by the front door and she walked away. She knew she couldn't just wait around to hear the news. She headed towards the airport intending to get the first international flight out of LA. She didn't know when she'd be back.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been three months since Chloe left LA, aside from a brief email to Bill Buchanan telling him that she was leaving and didn't know when she'd be back she'd had no contact with her former colleagues or friends. She'd ended up in England for the first few weeks, staying on the Sussex coast and isolating herself from everyone.

At times her grief was unbearable. But Chloe dealt with it as she had when she'd lost Lucy, she had times when she thought she couldn't go on and times when she kidded herself it hadn't ever happened. She pretended that Jack was off somewhere living his life happily. The fact that she hadn't stayed around to even hear the news of his death somehow made the pretence easier.

The turning point came a little over eight weeks after Jack's death. Chloe hadn't been eating or sleeping well; she'd lost weight and had been hit by a particularly virulent form of flu. Not being used to getting ill, she had tried to carry on as normal, had struggled out of the apartment she'd been staying in only to be found by a passer by collapsed in the street.

She'd come round in hospital only to be told that she was pregnant. Chloe had been stunned; she'd been so wrapped up in her loss that the possibility hadn't even occurred to her. At first Chloe didn't even feel able to look after herself, let alone a baby, but by the time she'd been discharged from hospital she realised that this was her second chance.

It was then that she decided to go back to the US, to find a job and bring some stability back into her life. She still couldn't go back to LA though, there were too many memories and the pain was too raw.

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Chloe had been in San Francisco for two weeks, having found herself an apartment and started doing some freelance work. She'd learned that mornings were not a good time for her, just like when she'd been pregnant with Lucy. She still had moments where she felt her grief hit her hard, not just about losing Jack but also the memory of the last time she was pregnant and the loss of her daughter.

And now here she was sitting in her apartment trying to summon up the courage to phone CTU. She knew they were probably wondering where she was, the fact that she'd been travelling with false credentials would have made tracing difficult if not impossible. Chloe rolled her eyes at that thought, knowing without arrogance that she would be able to trace anyone, false credentials or not.

She dialled the number for what must have been the tenth time and resisted the urge to hang up before anyone picked up. She'd dialled directly through to Bill's number, not really wanting to talk to him as it was but certainly not willing to talk to anyone else. She gulped nervously as she heard the distinct click that indicated the phone had been picked up, there was a slight delay before the person spoke and she heard voices in the background. She had a moment to wonder if they were in the midst of a crisis.

And then she was thrown into a crisis of her own as the person on the other end of the phone spoke for the first time.

"Bauer". The single word, the single name spoken by the voice she had heard so many times before but never thought she'd hear again. Shock rippled through her as she let out a short, barely audible gasp.

"Hello?" he asked, impatiently.

Chloe couldn't speak, she could barely breath; confusion clouded her mind and a million questions remained unasked. Then she dropped the phone. She sat in stunned silence for a few seconds before regaining her composure enough to at least pick up the phone. Still she couldn't utter a word.

The voice at the other end of the phone had also gone quiet but she knew he was still there; she took a shaky breath, trying to formulate a legible sentence. Before she had the chance though, he spoke again.

"Chloe?" he asked tentatively.

She nodded even though he couldn't see her, by now tears were coursing down her cheeks, the only sound she was able to make the harsh breathing that accompanied her tears. She heard Jack shout to Bill to pick up a trace on the call and then he was back, talking to her as though he'd never been away.

"Chloe, it's okay. I'm sorry, I've been looking for you. Shhh, it's okay, it's going to be okay now."

Then she heard Bill's voice in the background and Jack saying "I've got it" before he told her he was coming for her.

"Chloe, talk to Bill. I'll be with you in a few hours, don't go anywhere. I'm coming to get you."

The next voice she heard was Bill's.

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Chloe had barely moved from the spot since she'd hung up the phone to Bill. She sat on the couch hugging her knees to her chest and rocking gently. Her thoughts were all over the place. She didn't understand what had happened, she'd been so sure he was dead.

She stood when she heard the pounding of feet on the stairwell outside her apartment, moving quickly to the door and opening it. Before she'd had a chance to even look at him properly she was being dragged into his arms and held tightly, his face buried in her hair and him whispering urgently.

"Oh god Chloe. I've been so worried, I couldn't find you. I tried, but I just couldn't find you".

She detected the note of helplessness in his voice and she drew her arms around him, gently stroking his shoulders while at the same time pressing herself against him, trying to get as close to him as possible, just wanting to know that he was real.

When he pulled back to look at her she saw him properly for the first time. He looked the same but different. His eyes were the same as she remembered but there was a desperation there that had replaced the almost blank stare that had been there for most of that last week she'd seen him.

Jack took the opportunity to scrutinise her, he frowned as he looked her up and down. "What's the matter?" he asked urgently, seeing that she was thinner than usual.

"Nothing, I'm fine" she said, "I had a virus a few weeks ago, spent a couple of days in hospital but I'm fine now." She didn't want to tell him about the baby just yet, she wanted some time first.

She felt him pushing her back inside the apartment just as one of her neighbours rounded the stairwell and looked at them with interest. They stood just inside the apartment after Jack closed the door behind them; they just stared at each other. Chloe was first to break the silence.

She reached up and touched his face, looking at him in wonderment and confusion. "I – I don't understand Jack, what happened? How come you're alive?"

Jack sighed. "I couldn't do it Chloe", he reached up and stroke her cheek with his fingers, "god knows I wanted to but I just couldn't".

"Why not?" she asked softly.

He closed his eyes and she saw the pain in his expression. "I kept thinking of you" he said simply.

"You did?" she asked.

He nodded before pulling her towards him again. "I did. I wasn't sure what it meant at first, I just knew I couldn't go through with it."

She pulled back to look at him. "And now? Do you know what it means now?"

He smiled down at her, a gently upward tilt of his lips accompanied by the slight crinkling of the skin around his eyes. "I do, Chloe" he whispered as his lips captured hers in a gentle kiss.

When they broke apart she let her fingers run down his chest to settle around his waist, she looked up at him, a question hovering on her lips.

"You gave me something to live for" he said simply.

"I'm glad" she said in response, her hand settling on her stomach as she told him he now had more than just her to live for.


End file.
